It is an area of Glasgow steeped in history, from the early beginnings of the city under the watch of St Mungo to the Scottish enlightenment and women’s suffrage.

Glasgow’s High Street district has a 1500-year history and is linked to many of the city’s, and Scotland’s, key events and people.

The area’s important past is now set to be celebrated in a new heritage trail along the historic street and the adjoining Saltmarket.

A total of 42 banners will tell the stories of the area’s important people, landmarks and events, including Glasgow Cathedral, Provands Lordships, St Mungo and the Glasgow Fair.

They will also highlight the district’s role in world trade and the struggle for women’s rights.

All of the stories can be accessed via an app or online so that visitors can enjoy them as they walk through the area or read about them at home.

Councillor Angus Millar, chair of the High Street Reference Group, said: “These new banners and historic signs form a heritage trail telling the remarkable story of this, the most historic area in Glasgow.

“Not only do these banners illustrate the High Street’s fascinating history, but together with our online tool I hope they will encourage visitors to the area as they explore its importance - in so many fields - to the city.

“The heritage trail will be a great resource for Glaswegians and people new to the city, and it is just part of the work we are doing to promote the High Street area.”

Some of the key people set to feature on the banners include Scottish biographer and lawyer James Boswell and writer Daniel Defoe who visited the city on behalf of the English government in 1707, the year that the Treaty of Union was signed.

On seeing the city, Defoe wrote: “Glasgow is, indeed, a very fine city; the four principal streets are the fairest for breadth, and the finest built that I have ever seen in one city together… in a word, ’tis the cleanest and beautifullest, and best built city in Britain, London excepted.”

The banners also feature economist and philosopher Adam Smith and inventor and engineer James Watt.

The new project also tells the story of Duke Street Prison which held women prisoners from across Scotland, including many suffragettes and political activists.

Suffragettes Ethel Moorhead and Dorothea Chalmers Smith were held at the prison in July 1913 after being arrested during an attempt to set fire to an unoccupied mansion in the city’s Park Gardens. They were later released after going on hunger strike.

Another suffragette, Helen Crawford Anderson, was imprisoned in March 1914 after breaking two windows of an army recruiting office. The Women’s Social and Political Union picketed the prison gates day and night while she was locked up, delivering speeches about the horrific forced-feeding suffered by the women.

Women in Britain eventually gained the vote in 1928.

Another of the signs depicts Glasgow’s importance in world trade. The city was named a royal burgh in 1450, giving it the right to trade and hold an annual fair. However, trade had been ongoing in the city from as early as the 12th century.

City traders began selling goods beyond Scotland in the 15th century, with France, the Baltics and the Netherlands buying dyed and woven cloth, wool, herring, salt and salmon.

However, it was not until after the union of the Scottish and English crowns in 1603 that Glasgow began to grow significantly.

The project is part of Glasgow City Council’s High Street Area Strategy, which aims to promote the area’s rich history and built heritage and support its small businesses and local economy.

It will also see historic lane signs being installed in the area and bring to life lesser known stories such as the Molendinar Flood and Little St Mungo’s Chapel.

To find out more about the banners and the stories behind them, visit https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/52118bb7ae2f454cbfc12cbb555449a3.

Fore more information on the High Street Area Strategy, visit www.glasgowcitycentrestrategy.com/high-street-area-strategy.